1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electrical connectors for printed circuit boards, and particularly to multiconductor connectors to be mounted directly on printed circuit boards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Printed circuit board connectors of the prior art typically include a female connector having a plurality of resilient contacts extending perpendicular to the surface of the printed circuit board. These contacts resiliently engage mating male contact pins which are inserted in a direction parallel to the female contacts and perpendicular to the printed circuit board. As the male contact is inserted in the female connector, the female contacts are forced out of their equilibrium shapes. In order to insure that the female contacts are not permanently deformed by this movement, they must be of a sufficient length to disperse the stresses such that the stresses do not exceed the elastic limit of the contact material at any one point. This requires that the female connectors of the prior art extend a relatively large distance from the surface of the printed circuit board.
Modern miniature electronic components frequently extend a smaller distance from the printed circuit board than do the prior art female connectors. Since it is often desirable to stack printed circuit boards as close together as possible, the prior art connectors place an undesirable limit on how close the boards may be stacked.
Prior attempts to reduce the height of the connectors have resulted in connectors which wear out or become loose after a few uses due to their short contact length.